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Female internists earn less than male colleagues

Female internists made less money than their male counterparts, regardless of whether they are subspecialists, hospitalists or generalists, according to data recently published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Despite progress toward gender diversity in the U.S. physician workforce, disparities in compensation and career advancement persist. Studies document that women earn substantially less than men after adjustment for specialty, hours worked, experience and practice characteristics,” Susan Read, PhD, an ACP member, and colleagues wrote.

“Recent data on physician compensation by gender in internal medicine could help explain and address disparities within this specialty,” they added.

Researchers analyzed survey responses from 374 nonstudent ACP members in the United States working more than 35 hours a week, of whom 120 were women. Read and colleagues found that:

• Men’s median annual salary was $250,000; women’s was $200,000 and income gaps did not differ regardless of race or marital status.
• Women earned less than men in every internal medicine specialty, ranging from a difference of $45,000 for subspecialists to $29,000 for internal medicine specialists.
• Men who were practice owners made about $72,500 while women practice owners made about $43,000.
• Men and women had an income gap of $70,000 among those in solo practices, $52,500 among those in administration, $37,500 for physicians who spend most of their time in face-to-face direct patient care and $30,000 in government settings.

Researchers stated that choice of occupation, gender discrimination, productivity levels and time taken away from work because of family obligations have often been cited as the reasons for such differences, and that the status quo must change.

“With women making up more than one-third of the active U.S. physician workforce, an estimated 46% of all physicians in training, and more than one-half of all medical students, inequities in compensation must be understood and eliminated,” they concluded.

In a related editorial, Milda R. Saunders, MD, MPH, of the University of Chicago Medical Center and Barbara J. Turner, MD, MSEd, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles wrote that Read et al’s research confirm existing findings and that “substantive action is long overdue.”

“Employers must recognize that, in addition to being required by law, equitable compensation can enhance the institutional culture by fostering increased trust and yielding more satisfied, productive employees of both sexes. ... Women are increasingly becoming the lifeblood of the medical profession. The health of persons in the United States depends on women being treated fairly and equitably,” they wrote.

ACP has previously voiced concern regarding salary disparities based on gender rather than skill in a 2017 position paper calling for salary equality for all physicians.

“Physicians, like those in other professions, should be assured that their work is being valued equally,” Jack Ende, MD, MACP, then-president of ACP, said at the time in a press release. “Salary and compensation should never be negatively impacted by a physician’s personal characteristics, including gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation and gender identity.” – by Janel Miller

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.